Tranglobe Produce Export Limited has withdrawn the injunction it gotten from the High Court in Blantyre restraining the implementation of the 2017/18 Farm Input Subsidy Programme.

Transglobe’s lawyer Lusungu Gondwe (R): Seeks judicial review

This follows a 48 hours ultimatum the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture issued on Wednesday for Transglobe to vacate the injunction for the programme to proceed.

The Committee warned to ban the company from operating in Malawi should they not withdraw the injunction within 48 hours.

The company obtained the injunction after it was not given the contract to supply inputs under this programme targerting over 900,000 farmers across the country.

The injunction was withdrawn on Friday before Judge Kenyatta Nyirenda.

However, Transglobe through its lawyers, among them Lusungu Gondwe, applied for judicial review on how contracts to supply farm inputs were awarded to the other contractors.

The state, on the other hand, applied for the vacation of the judicial review of the case before Judge Kenyatta reserving his ruling to a later date.

Ministry of Agriculture’s laxity to act on Transglobe Produce Export’s request to be considered in the FISP suppliers list after being cleared by the High Court, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Attorney General, government’s principal legal adviser has reportedly caused the mess.

The Ministry of Agriculture decided to leave out Transglobe in this year’s Fisp programme because one of its directors Rashid Tayub is answering corruption charges together with former Minister of Agriculture George Chaponda over the maize procurement saga in Zambia.

But instead of acting on the legal recommendations, the Ministry ignored the advice and this resulted in Transglobe applying to the High Court for an interim injunction to stop the implementation of the Fisp programme.

Documents in Nyasa Times possession indicate that Transglobe withdrew a judicial review case following consent between the state and Transglobe that the Ministry of agriculture was going to consider the company in participating in the Fisp tender.

“It is further ordered and directed that the Applicant’s (Transglobe) bid or bids for the award of contract under the Fisp programme be considered by the procuring entity, The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development in the same manner that the procuring entity would consider any other bid or bids by any other bidder,” reads the High Court order consent endorsed by Transglobe lawyer Lusungu Gondwe and Attorney General Charles Mhango dated 22 September 2017.

“The Bureau wishes to advise you that you may proceed with the procurement as long as you comply with all other formalities under the Public Procurement Act and Regulations,” reads the letter in part.

Director of Public Procurement Paul Taulo also cleared Transglobe through a letter to SFRRM CEO dated 6th October 2017.

“As regards the matter relating to Transglobe Produce Export Limited, we confirm that we have received clearance from relevant legal authorities. A ‘No Objection’ has been granted for you to award the contract to Transglobe Produce Exports Limited as approved by your IPC,” reads the letter in part.

Transglobe lawyer Lusungu Gondwe also wrote Minister of Agriculture Joseph Mwanamvekha twice on 2 and 17 October 2017 requesting his office to issue a ‘No Objection’ to SFFRM to enable Transglobe participates in the tender.

“Please be advised that the ACB has cleared our client. Further, the Office of the Honourable attorney General has approved our Client’s participation in FISP. The High Court of Malawi too has held that our Client should be at liberty to participate in Fisp like any other bidder. In short, there are n objections to our Client’s participation in Fisp,” reads the letter dated 2 October 2017.

“Take notice that our Client has no intention to delay the procurement process but will certainly take the most drastic action to protect its interests,” adds the letter.

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Transglobe should be stopped,they should not do business in Malawi..abwelele komwe anachokera .Holding Malawi at a ransome.,this is equal to treason..This is the same thief who corroborated with Chaponda to de fraud us (Malawians) .It you remember maizegate scandal..Here he is again playing silly Maharajah with our livelihood..This dipshit should go back to where he came from ..This fuckwit doesn’t belong here ,no wonder he plays Mable’s with the lifes of Millions of Malawians …At the moment my only wish is if Mugabe was the president of Malawi ,unakawona zakuda.This Peter is the toilet paper holder for Asians,they shit he… Read more »

Malawi, Malawians, and my Malawi, when something bad happens we always find somebody to put the whole blame and link everything to politics. It is the same Agricultural Committee of Parliament which had recommended the removal of Transglobe on the list of potential suppliers for this year FISP not the ministry of Agriculture. Why you journalist want to confuse people on this issue. Change the way you report and be honest in your reporting. Osamangoyang’ana chinyengo pa chilichonse nononono.

This country belongs to Malawians, not amwenye. m’Mwenye akachita ntundzu koma kumuonetsa strong muscles. Malawians cannot behave like this in his native country whether it is India or Pakistan. Malawi is for Malawians. My expression should not be misconstrued as xenophobia, but a clear demonstration of my pride to be Malawian.